“Every night that I drove, at least one time every night, you are driving someone home who is incredibly drunk, and you just have this feeling that this person probably would have driven home had Operation Red Nose not been there,” he says. “So you really know that you are making a difference. You are helping save lives.”

Wilson says the demand for their service went up as British Columbia’s impaired driving laws became stricter. What has especially surprised him over the years is the number of young people who end up using the service.

This year’s theme is “This season, hand the reins over to us.”

The service is by donation, and the proceeds go to support local youth and amateur sports organizations.